The most widely used and most economical method for sampling fragrances is a paper to paper laminate containing microencapsulated fragrance oil and an adhesive/binder to adhere the capsules to the paper. This laminated construction is easily separated, breaks the capsules efficiently and quickly releases the fragrance upon opening. This process must however, be carefully controlled to apply just the right amount of material, and formulated with precisely the right amount of binder/adhesive so that the lamination opens properly without adhering too tightly or not adhering enough. The manufacture of this type of sampler is highly complex for many reasons, not the least of which are that the binder/adhesive and paper must be carefully and judiciously controlled so as not to adversely effect function and the fragrance fidelity. The printing and converting of this type of sampler is also not well suited for short runs or advertisers requiring multiple fragrances. Another drawback has been that no printing or associated graphics can be utilized in the fragrance sample area. To address one of these shortcomings Jones U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,928,748 and 6,125,614 have disclosed a polymeric film laminated over the graphics allowing the fragrance to be subsequently applied over the film without any adverse effect on the printing. Other than sweeping generalities, some of which suggest using straight perfume or encapsulated material, no suitable means is suggested for applying and protecting the fragrance so that the sampler will have a sufficient shelf life and release the fragrance only upon opening. Comyn U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,172 has disclosed a similar construction in label form which relies on absorption of the fragrance into the film, this construction is dependent on the vapor barrier properties of the polymer film to protect the fragrance during it's life cycle, upon opening the sealed unit, the exposed surface provides a means for the fragrance to volatilize into the atmosphere. While this construction provides for a very visually appealing sampler, the shelf life and stability tends to be limited. Generally this construction is not well suited for high speed and economical manufacture and fails to provide adequate burst or intensity.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,403,186 discloses a gelatenoid product that relies on a microencapsulated fragrance in a gel vehicle. The product must be applied to the skin in order to break the capsules and release the fragrance, thus a consumer may be reluctant to apply the fragrance if they cannot adequately smell the fragrance first. To compensate for the lack of burst, this patent discloses that a portion of the fragrance may be dispersed in the non volatile gelatenoid vehicle, the non volatile vehicle engulfs and provides a measure of protection for the volatile fragrance oil during it's life cycle, this allows the fragrance to burst upon opening of the sampler so the consumer can smell the fragrance before applying. This method does not provide for long term stability and shelf life of the burst, particularly when the sampler is subjected to elevated temperature and humidity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,517 discloses coating a substrate with a water soluble coating and drying the coating, a slurry of microcapsules is then coated over the dried coating. The capsules reactivate the adhesive properties of the coating and consequently stick to the coating, upon pulling the two plies apart the capsules rupture and release the fragrance. Another U.S. Pat. No. 4,988,557, discloses a similar construction except that at least some of the area is not coated with a reactivatable adhesive and these capsules do not rupture upon opening. These methods have the disadvantage of needing to apply two coatings and drying the first coating which slows the process considerably and increases energy as well as significantly adding to manufacturing costs.
Several other patents disclose a variety of constructions for fragrance sampling including: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,874,129, 4,880,690, 4,952,400, 4,940,584, 5,391,420, 5,566,693, 5,622,263, 5,637,401, 5,645,161, 5,782,060, 5,885,701, 6,251,408, 6,301,860, 6,326,069, and 6,364,097. Some of these provide for an air tight sampler which holds a fragrance and alcohol or silicone mixture, upon opening, the fragrance can be evaluated and if desirable can be applied to the skin for extended trial. While these are functional sampling means they tend to be very expensive and thus have not been widely used, particularly by advertisers of low unit cost products. Many more patents teach a wide array of encapsulation methods and techniques but to date a reliable and inexpensive method does not exist for mass producing a fragrance sampler that could be reliably utilized by advertisers of low end products as well as high end expensive perfumes.